Machine for molding cement blocks.



No. 804,528. PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905. T. FISCHER & J. B. TALBOT. MACHINEFOR MOLDING CEMENT BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 804,528. PATBNTED NOV. 14, 1905. T. FISGHBR & B. TALBOT. MACHINE FORMOLDING CEMENT BLOCKS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED APR.15, 19

IT S T PATN MACHINE FUR MOLDING OEIVIENT BLUGIIMB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed April 15, 1905. Serial No. 255,677.

To ctZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS FIsoI-InR and J AMES B. TALBOT, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Edwardsville, in the county ofMadison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Molding Cement Blocks, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a machine for molding cement blocks such as arecommonly used for building purposes, the object of the improvement beingto produce a machine of the character named in which cement blocks maybe molded in multiple at one operation, thereby greatly facilitating themanufacture of the blocks and decreasing the cost of their production.

Figure I is a perspective view of our machine. Fig. II is a verticallongitudinal section taken on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. III is a verticaltransverse section taken on line III III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is aperspective view of two of the cement blocks produced in our machinelaid together in the positions in which they are placed in constructinga building.

A designates the foundation on which our machine is mounted, which ispreferably of concrete.

1 designates a pair of bed-timbers that are set into the foundation A sothat they are held perfectly rigid.

2 designates bed-plates set on the bed-timbers and provided with seriesof apertures 3, arranged in lines extending transversely of the plates.

4 designates the side walls of our mold, which are mounted upon thebed-plates 2 and are provided upon their inner sides with longitudinalribs 5. The mold side walls extend longitudinally of the bed-plates andare adjustably secured to said plates by screws 6, that are introducedthrough ears 4:, extending from the mold side walls and which passthrough the apertures 3 in the bed-plates and enter into the bed-timbersto secure the mold side walls. By providing a plurality of the apertures3 the mold side walls may be shifted forwardly and outwardly across thebedplates to lessen or increase the space between them in making cementblocks of different lengths.

7 designates the rear wall of themold, that is mounted in uprightposition upon the rear ends of the bed-plates 2 and is provided withbolt-holes 7. These bolt-holes are adapted to receive bolts 8, that areInserted through flanges 4: at the rear ends of the mold side Walls,whereby the mold side walls are adjustably connected to the mold rearwall in order that the rear wall may be held to the side walls when saidside walls are in any adjusted position.

9 designates a carriage-platform that is reciprocally mounted betweenthe bed-timbers 1 to ride beneath the bed-plates 2. This platform ispreferably supported by track-wheels 10, thateride upon runways 11,secured to the inner sides of the bed-timbers 1. The platform may,however, rest directly upon these runways and have sliding bearingthereon. The carriage-platform is reciprocally moved between thebed-timbers by suitable mechanism, the means shown consisting of a cable12, that is connected to the platform and leads to a winch-shaft 13,journaled in bearing-boxes 14, mounted on the bed-timbers at theirforward ends. The shaft 13 is rotated to wind the cable 12 thereonthrough the medium of the second shaft 15 of the Winch, that is gearedto the first shaft by spur-wheels 16 and 17.

18designates the mold-bottom, looselyseated upon the carriage-platform 9and fitting between the inner edges of the bed-plates 2, so that it mayride upon said platform when the platform is shifted forwardlyfrom aposition beneath the mold of the machine. The moldbottom is looselymounted upon the carriageplatform in order that it may be liftedtherefrom when the cement blocks have been molded above it in the mannerto be hereinafter explained.

19 designates posts secured to the carriageplatform at its rear end andextending upwardly therefrom, as seen in full lines, Fig. II, and dottedlines, Fig. III.

20 designates a pair of outer core-rods extending longitudinally betweenthe mold side walls 4:, and 21 an intermediate core-rod extendinglongitudinally between the outer corerods 20. The inner core-rod ispreferably of less diameter than the outer rods. Each of these core-rodspasses through the rear moldwall, and the rods are supported due totheir having vertical portions located at the rear of the machine, whichare seated in the concrete bed A, as seen in Fig. II.

22 designates division-boards or plates that are adapted to be threadedonto the core-rods 20 and 21, the division-boards being provided withsuitable openings to permit of their being applied to the core-rodsbetween the mold side walls t. These division-boards constitute theseparating members for the various cement blocks to be produced, andthey are held apart at the desired distance, according to the cementblocks to be produced, at their lower edges by spacing-blocks-23, whichrest upon the mold-bottom 18. (See Figs. II and III.) Thedivision-boards are held spaced apart at the desired distances bynotched spacing-strips 2 1, that are fitted to the division-boards andalso to the mold rear wall 7. The rearmost divisionboard rests againstthe carriage-platformcarried posts 19, whereby said division-board isupheld after the spacing-strips 2 1 are withdrawn from thedivision-boards and the mold rear wall.

25 designates bracket-arms fixed to the carriage-platform 9 at its rearend and located immediately beneath the core-rods 20 and 21. Thesebracket-arms have mounted in their upper free ends antifriction-rollers26, that are adapted to ride in engagement with the core-rods when thecarriage-platform is drawn forwardly after cement blocks have beenproduced in the molds and are to be extracted. The utility of thebracket-arms and their rollers is that of preventing sagging of thecorerods while the cement blocks are being withdrawn therefrom duringthe forward move ment of the carriage-platform.

27 designates retaining-rods which are introduced through the mold sidewalls adjacent to their forward ends and which serve as supports for theforward division -board 22 while the cement blocks are being produced inthe mold. The retaining-rods are removably seated in the side walls, sothat they may be withdrawn after the blocks have been molded andwithdrawn from the core-rods in finished condition.

In the practical use of our machine the operation is as follows: Thecarriage-platform 9 is first moved into a position between thebed-timbers 1 at the location of the mold side walls and in front of themold rear Wall. The mold-bottom 18 having been placed upon thecarriageplatform, the rearmost CliViSiOl'l".

board 22 is first threaded onto the core-rods 20 and 21, and aspacing-block 23 is placed upon the mold-bottom immediately in front ofsaid division-board. The succeeding division-board and spacing-blocksare then put in place in the same manner as those just referred to.After all of the division-boards and spacing-blocks have been put inpiace the retaining-rods 27 are introduced through the mold side wallsin front of the foremost division-board, thereby holding said board inupright position. The spacing-strips 2 1 are then fitted to thedivision-boards and the mold rear wall and the machine is in conditionfor service. The cement from which the blocks are to be produced is thenintroduced into the mold-compartments, and as soon as it has becomesufficiently set the spacing strips 24: and the retaining-rods 27 arewithdrawn. The carriage-platform is then reciprocated forwardly and thecement blocks are removed in finished condition with holes therein andgrooves at their ends, which are produced, respectively, by thecore-rods and the ribs 5 at the inner faces of the mold side walls.

In Fig. IV we have shown two of the cement blocks produced in ourmachine, illustrating the manner in which they are to be laid together.As will be seen, the blocks overlap each other when laid in order thatthe larger openings therein produced by the core-rods 20 will register,and the smaller openings produced by the core-rod 21 will register withopenings formed by the grooves in abutting ends of blocks which areproduced by the ribs 5 of the mold side walls. By making thebuilding-blocks in this form we provide excellent ventilation in abuilding-wall constructed of our blocks.

For the purpose of permitting free rotation of the winch-shaft 13 toallow the carriage 9 to be readily shifted into position beneath themold-box after it has been drawn forwardly we mount the winch-shaft atone end in a swivel-box, as seen in Fig. I, and its opposite end isfreely positioned in the box 1%, in which it operates, so that saidshaft may be shifted laterally to carry the spur-wheel 17 thereon intoand out of mesh with the spur-wheel 16 on the crank-shaft 15. This shaftis moved through the medium of a bell-crank lever 28, that is pivoted at29 to one of the bed-timbers 1 and has an arm that engages the shaft 13.The bell-crank lever is held in either position to which it is rocked bya detent 30.

While we have shown only a limited number of compartments in themold-box, it is evident that this number may be diminished or increasedto any desired degree without departing from our improvement. It is alsoevident that instead of using the winch construction for reciprocatingthe carriage 9, as shown, any other earriage-reciprocating mechanism maybe utilized to be operated either manually, by horse-power, or by asuitable engine.

e claim as our invention- 1. In a cement-block-molding machine, thecombination of a pair of bed members, a carriage arranged to ridebetween said bed members, a partitioned mold-box surmounting said bedmembers, and core-rods extending through said mold-box and supported infixed positions independent of said carriage, substantially as setforth.

2. In a cement-block-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, a carriage arranged to ride between said bed members, and amold-box surmounting said bed members and consisting of a rear wall andside walls adjustably secured to said rear wall, substantially as setforth.

3. In a cement-bloek-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, a carriage arranged to ride between said bed members, a pair ofadjustable mold-box side walls surmounting said bed members, a rearmoldbox Wall to which said side walls are adjustably secured, andremovable division-boards surmounting said carriage and arrangedtransversely between said side walls, substantially as set forth.

4:- In a cement-block-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, a carriage arranged to ride between said bed members, amold-box consisting of a pair of adjustable side walls surmounting saidbed members, and a rear wall fitted to said side walls, and having anopen forward end, removable division boards surmounting said carriageand arranged transversely between said side walls, and rigidly-supportedcore-rods extending longitudinally between said side walls and ontowhich said division-boards are threaded, substantially as set forth.

5. In a cement-block-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, a moldboX surmounting said bed members and consisting of a rearwall and side walls and having an open forward end, a carriage shiftablymounted between said bed members, a series of division-boardssurmounting said carriage and arranged transversely between said sidewalls, posts carried by said carriage at its rear end, andretaining-rods removably inserted in said side walls adjacent to theopen forward end of the mold-box and in front of the foremostdivisionboard, substantially as set forth.

6. In a cement-block-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, a carriage shiftably mounted between said bed members, amold-box rear wall surmounting said bed members, mold-box side wallssurmounting said bed members and provided with ribs at their innerfaces, and divisionboards extending transversely between said sidewalls; said mold-box being open at the forward end for the introductionof the division-boards, substantially as set forth.

7. In a eement-block-molding machine, the combination of a 'pair of bedmembers, a carriage shiftably mounted between said bed members, amold-box rear wall surmounting said bed members, mold-boX side wallssurmounting said bed members and provided with ribs at their innerfaces, division-boards extending transversely between said side walls,and rigidlysupported core-rods .eX- tending longitudinallybetween saidside walls and receiving said division-boards, substantially as setforth.

8. In a cement-block-moldingmachine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, bedplates surmounting said bed members, a moldbox consisting ofside walls adjustably mounted on said bed-plates, and a rear wallsurmounting said bed-plates and to which said side walls are adj ustablyconnected; the said mold-box having an open front end, divisionboardsextending transversely between said side walls, and a carriage shiftablymounted between said bed members, substantially as set forth.

9. In a cement-block-molding machine, the combination of a pair of bedmembers, amoldbox surmounting said bed members, corerods extendingthrough said mold-box, a carriage shiftably mounted between said bedmembers beneath said mold-box, and arms carried by said carriagearranged to ride beneath said core-rods, substantially as set forth.

THUS. FISCHER. J. B. TALBOT.

In presence of- JOHN R. SUTTER, G. G. JoYNnLs.

